


A Spaceman Came Travelling

by Berty



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-23
Updated: 2009-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-05 01:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berty/pseuds/Berty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel's really bad at small-talk. Luckily, Dr. Jack O'Neill is not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Spaceman Came Travelling

The Christmas party was in full swing by the time Daniel managed to extricate himself from the girl from the Philosophy Faculty; dressed as an angel, she certainly didn't look much like a divinity fellow and her attempts to steer him beneath the mistletoe had been amateurish at best. Luckily, Daniel had years of specialised study to fall back on, and had confounded her with a lengthy address on the origin of Christmas traditions; he had yet to meet the person who could endure his explanation of wassailing without their eyes glazing over. She hadn't stood a chance.

Daniel hated this kind of thing. It was the English Department's turn to host the annual interdepartmental festivities, and they had really gone to town with their Merrie Olde England party. Dickensian imagery abounded with some impressive costumes and an overabundance of holly, ivy, plum pudding, fake snow and flickering candles. It was certainly pretty enough, but Daniel just wasn't a party guy, particularly parties he had been commanded to attend. So what if the Anthropology department didn't have a very high profile within the University? Was it likely that his own sparkling presence would rectify that? And just because he had nowhere else to be, did that make it fair that he'd been _volunteered_ to attend?

He grasped his goblet of mulled wine grimly and began to edge towards the doors before he got trapped again.

"Daniel!"

Too late.

Daniel forced a smile onto his face as his head of department dodged a ghost of Christmas Past to reach him. Professor Steven Rayner, like Daniel, had opted for a simple black tuxedo. However, unlike Daniel, he had accessorised it with a rather ridiculous snowman tie, presumably in a misguided effort to be festive.

Daniel and Steven had never had what one might call a warm relationship, and Daniel thought he caught a glimpse of that thinly veiled dislike as the shorter man arrived at his side.

"Enjoying the party?" Steven asked, scanning the crowd.

"Not particularly," Daniel replied truthfully.

"Good. Good." Rayner nodded, absently. "I have someone you need to meet."

Daniel stifled his sigh and dutifully trailed his boss over into a corner of the crowded hall, where an assortment of wallflowers hovered close to the punch bowl.

"Daniel, I'd like you to meet Dr. Jack O'Neill. Jack, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, lecturer in Egyptology and something of an etymological expert."

"How do you do?" Daniel asked automatically, holding out a hand to the striking man at Steven's shoulder.

"Hi. How are you?" came the expected response along with a firm, warm handshake that lasted just a hint longer than it should, making Daniel look more closely.

Dr. O'Neill was about Daniel's height, dressed soberly and was of an indeterminate age. His hair was already silver in the subdued light of the hall, but Daniel guessed that this was not an indicator of advancing years, more of genetics and experience. His eyes were friendly and strangely knowing as they met Daniel's steadily.

"You and Dr. O'Neill share a common research goal, Daniel," Steven said with an insincere smile that made Daniel instantly wary. "Jack's an astronomy lecturer. Perhaps he can help you with those little green men you've been hypothesising all this time."

Steven's triumphant grin and slap on the shoulder made Daniel grit his teeth. Rayner never missed an opportunity to undermine Daniel if he could possibly help it. "Excuse me, won't you? I must have a word with Dr. Gardiner," Steven continued smoothly, striding off before either of the men had a chance to respond.

Daniel watched him go before turning to face Dr. O'Neill, uncomfortably aware of the flush of anger and humiliation that heated his cheeks.

"I'm not... He doesn't... Sorry. That's Steven's idea of a joke," Daniel explained wearily. "I've never suggested that an alien race were responsible for... It doesn't matter."

"The guy's a dick," O'Neill said unexpectedly.

To his surprise, Daniel gave a genuine laugh for the first time that evening. He found himself looking at an answering open smile, which seemed to confirm Daniel's assessment of Dr. O'Neill's age in that it made him look a lot younger.

"Yes," Daniel agreed wholeheartedly. "Yes, he is."

"So, Dr. Jackson. Etymology, that's the origin of language, right?"

"That's right," Daniel replied, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to explain that he wasn't a beetle specialist or worse, some sort of gynaecological expert. "My particular field is monogenesis, which postulates that all language came from a single, proto-language thousands of years ago. Of course it's very difficult to prove, given the diffusion of the population and the linguistic shifts that have occurred in the interim, but there is compelling evidence to suggest that the root for many basic words can be traced back and can enable us to reconstruct the outline of..."

Jack blinked as Daniel's words trailed off. "The outline of what? The first vocabulary?"

It was Daniel's turn to blink as Jack correctly finished the gist of his sentence. "That's right," Daniel agreed weakly, causing Jack to nod thoughtfully. "I'm sorry," he added. "I tend to get carried away. I'm just really, really bad at small-talk."

"So boring University functions are your own personal hell?" Jack asked, tipping his head to one side and smiling.

"Pretty much," Daniel agreed ruefully, although suddenly this particular party seemed to have taken a distinct turn for the better. "So, Dr. O'Neill..."

"Jack."

"Jack, tell me something about Astronomy that the layperson doesn't know."

Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully, which Daniel found surprisingly distracting.

"How about I show you instead?" Jack asked with a challenging expression. "You want to get out of here, Daniel? I can't compete with chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but I can promise you a star or two... billion."

"Are you...?" Daniel hesitated, unsure if he was being foolish or wildly optimistic. "Are you making a pass at me?"

"Possibly. Probably. Yes," Jack admitted, watching Daniel with more curiosity than caution.

Daniel didn't need to think about it too hard; a tedious faculty reception or stargazing and possibly more with the handsome, witty, intelligent Dr. Jack O'Neill. Daniel didn't have two PhDs by being slow. "Okay. We can take my car."

It was almost midnight by the time they reached the observatory. Only twenty minutes from the campus, already the sky was dark enough for Daniel to see the glitter of countless stars. The observatory itself was an old brick building, its echoing interior almost church-like Daniel thought as they entered. The array of computers and equipment quickly dispelled that image, and Daniel watched with interest while Jack flicked switches and typed commands, culminating in a rumble as the dome above them opened to a clear, silent sky.

Jack sighted through the eyepiece, making adjustments, then signalled for Daniel to sit at the telescope, rather than break the comfortable peace that had fallen between them.

Daniel tried to concentrate on the breathtaking display in the heavens, but he couldn't ignore the warm presence of Jack behind him, leaning in, breathing softly against the back of his neck.

"That's the Pleiades," Jack murmured, close to his ear. "Over one thousand stars in that cluster alone, including an undetermined number of binaries."

Jack leaned in further, his chest now pressed against Daniel's back while he made an alteration to the magnification.

Daniel wanted to sink back into that strength, to hear Jack's heartbeat, to feel Jack's arms come around him, ground him and stop him from feeling as distant and untouchable as the stars they were watching.

If he turned his head, Daniel knew he would find Jack's mouth with his own, that it would be as soft as it looked. He'd taste of the spices from the punch and of cold night air. All he had to do was turn his head.

Daniel breathed deeply, grateful that Jack was allowing him to be the one to choose. Offering not taking. Their mutual attraction wasn't in question - how far Daniel was prepared to act upon it was.

It was one thing to know that someone found you desirable, but quite another to make it happen. If he kissed Jack, would Jack kiss him back? Take him to bed? Fall in love with him? Be with him always? Or was he simply a willing, warm body on a cold night?

And would Daniel turn this opportunity down either way?

"It's a young nebula. You can tell because there are no red..."

Jack's mouth was ready when Daniel leaned back and turned his head, stopping Jack's words with the lightest of touches. His lips were cold but his mouth was perfectly warm and it welcomed Daniel, opening to him eagerly. Jack's kisses were gentle, unhurried but not tentative.

"Come home with me," Jack whispered against his mouth. "The stars will still be here tomorrow night."

Daniel smiled. "You're the expert," he replied.

Fin


End file.
